Johnny Football Finds Success In Madden 15 Sim Of NFL Season

Anything can happen in an NFL season, and in this one – simulated using Madden NFL 15 – it does. Injuries, meltdowns, and Johnny Football all play a part in making this simulated season one to remember.

Madden sim stats can be unreliable, but in the spirit of the upcoming NFL season we've simmed through a single season in Madden's Connected Franchise mode. This was done on All-Pro difficulty using six-minute quarters and default sliders.

I also used EA's current roster at the time, but had to make a few adjustments, including Logan Mankins' trade to the Bucs and Sam Bradford's injury. Still, Madden's sim engine automatically jumbled a few team's depth charts – noticeably at the QB spot. Blake Bortles (Jaguars), Matt Schaub (Raiders), and Mike Glennon (Bucs) all took over their teams' starting spots by the beginning of the regular season.

And then there was Johnny Football. Perhaps sensing popular sentiment (or destiny?), Brian Hoyer suffered a broken thumb in the pre-season, paving the way for Johnny Manziel to change the complexion of the AFC playoff race.